Statistical averages

Overall

Fully evolved

Stat

HP:

74.08

Attack:

97.65

Defense:

119.04

Sp.Atk:

78.96

Sp.Def:

90.46

Speed:

63.27

Total:

523.46

Battle properties

Offensive

Defensive

Power

Types

Power

Types

2×

½×

½×

2×

0×

None

0×

Characteristics

Defense

Defensively, Steel types are considered to be the best type of Pokémon to use. Pure steel Pokémon have resistances to 11 of the 17 types, which can make for a good physical and special tank in battle. Steel types also have an immunity to Poison-type attacks, and are very tricky to inflict the Poison condition on. They can hold up to many attacks, because of their typically high Defense. They are also notably the only type capable of resisting the Dragon type that could otherwise take advantage of its STAB.

However, all three of the Steel-type's weaknesses; Fighting, Ground and Fire, are very common and popular types. This makes it weak to common moves of those types, including the extremely common Earthquake. Fortunately, most Steel types are dual-types, which defends usually against one of these types; however, it is possible for dual-type Steel Pokémon to develop double weaknesses to some of these moves.

Pokémon purely of the Steel type have the 2nd greatest amount of resistances in the game. Magnemite, Magneton, and Magnezone, being Steel and Electric, are the most resistant Pokémon in the game, having 12 resistances plus an immunity to Poison. The added Electric type means these Pokémon are also resistant to Electric moves, and have a double resistance to Flying and Steel moves. However, they also have a double weakness to Ground-type moves.

Offense

Offensively, it is only recommended to use Steel-type moves for STAB. There are only two types weak to Steel: Ice and Rock, both of which are rarely used defensively, and have other type weaknesses with more versatility. Furthermore, the typesthatdo resist Steel are very common (Including itself). There are only five pure Steel-type Pokémon and thus most have a second type able to provide more effective moves that could offset this disadvantage. Steel-type Pokémon typically have good Attack and below-average Special Attack, though there are some high-powered outliers in either the Physical field, such as Scizor, Metagross and Excadrill, and the Special field, such as Lucario, Empoleon and Magnezone. Said outliers are used often, so STAB on Steel-type moves can prove valuable. All in all, Steel can be a useful type offensively if combined with STAB, paired with another type for support and boosted by a high base total of at least one of the attacking stats.

Contest Properties

When used in Contests, Steel-type moves typically become Cool moves, but can also be of the other four Contest types.

Pokémon

As of Generation V, there are 38 Steel-type Pokémon or 5.86% of all Pokémon, making it the 14th most common type.

The target is hit with wings of steel. It may also raise the user's Defense stat.

All details are accurate to Generation VII games. For details that have changed between generations, please see an individual move's page. Target data assumes user is in the lower left.

Trivia

Out of all the types, Steel has the most resistances and the highest average Defense.

Because of Magnemite and Magneton's addition of their secondary Steel type in Generation II, there has been at least one Steel-type Pokémon introduced in each generation. Despite this, there is not a Steel-type move from each generation; Steel is the only type not assigned to a move introduced in Generation I. This is the opposite situation to the other type introduced in Generation II, Dark, as this generation saw Bite change from a Normal- to a Dark-type move but featured no retroactive Dark-type Pokémon.

Though Steel-type moves deal super-effective damage against both Ice- and Rock-type Pokémon, there has not yet been a Pokémon of that type combination, and therefore, Steel-type moves currently cannot deal 4× damage.

All Steel-type moves affect only one Pokémon at a time.

The Steel type is the only type to lack a move that functions differently in Double Battles.

Steel is the only type that has a non-neutral type matchup with all seventeen types, considering both offense and defense.

Each of the three starter types have a different effectiveness when attacking a pure Steel-type Pokémon. Grass does ½× damage, Water does 1× damage, and Fire does 2× damage.

Generation V introduced the most Steel-type Pokémon of any Generation, with 12 and Generation II introduced the least Steel-type Pokémon, with four.

Every Steel-type specialist has used Skarmory in their final team in the last game that he or she appears in.

All Steel-type moves except for Autotomize have a name that consists of two words.

Generation IV introduced the most Steel-type moves of any Generation, with seven and Generation II introduced the least Steel-type moves, with three.

A pure Steel-type Pokémon has more resistances than any dual type Pokémon that is not part Steel.

Generation V is the first Generation not to introduce a Steel-type move with the word "iron" or "metal" in its name.